Greek-Style Green Beans with Beef Short Ribs
This hearty, flavorful recipe combines boneless beef short ribs and tender green beans with tomato sauce, onions, garlic, olive oil, and oregano. It’s a comforting dish perfect for the coldest winter days. The Greek-style green beans are slow-cooked in the oven while the short ribs are pressure cooked until they’re fall-apart tender. Once combined, the depth of flavor in each bite is unmatched.
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Greek-Style Green Beans with Beef Short Ribs
Beef Short Ribs
Why this cut of beef? I use boneless beef short ribs because their melt-in-your-mouth texture and hearty flavor complement the bold richness of the tomato sauce, olive oil, and oregano. Feel free to substitue with other cuts of beef (such as stewing beef or bone-in beef short ribs) or elevate the flavors even more by using USDA Prime boneless beef short ribs. To substitute with stewing beef, reduce the pressure cooking time by 5 minutes. To substitue with bone-in short ribs, increase the pressure cooking time by 5 minutes.
Why cook them separately? Cooking the vegetables and short ribs separately allows for a higher oven temperature without the worry of tough meat. I’ve had back luck cooking the short ribs in the oven with the green beans and potatoes, but I’ve never had the short ribs turn out tough or chewy in the Instant Pot.
Green Beans
I’ve tried this recipe with traditional green beans and French green beans. Since French green beans are typically longer and thinner, they tend to cook faster. I prefer the texture and look of traditional green beans for this dish. You can swap them if you prefer or if that’s all you can find.
Olive Oil
The olive oil, tomato flavors, and herbs come together to create the perfect balance of sweetness, acidity, and richness in the sauce. In other words, don’t skimp on the olive oil; use the whole cup.
Let It Sit
After putting the the whole dish together, give it a little time to sit and allow the beef to soak up the flavors of the sauce. It’s the perfect dish to make ahead of time. I almost always make this recipe in advance to let the flavors deepen as it sits overnight in the fridge.
Greek-Style Green Beans with Beef Short Ribs
Equipment
- Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker
Ingredients
For the Green Beans
- 2 lbs green beans trimmed and washed
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 head garlic minced
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 1½ cups water
- 3 medium potatoes peeled and quartered
- 1 TBSP salt
- ¼ TBSP ground black pepper
- 2 TBSP Oregano
For the Short Ribs
- 2½-3 lbs boneless beef short ribs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- sea salt
- ground pepper
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1-2 bay leaves
Instructions
Making the Greek-Style Green Beans
- Pre heat oven to 375º F convection (400℉ for a standard oven). *See Note 1.
- In a large roasting pan with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté your onion and garlic, stirring frequently. *See Note 2.1 large yellow onion, 1 cup olive oil, 1 head garlic
- When the onion has just begun to soften, add the green beans to the pan. Stir well to coat the green beans in oil.2 lbs green beans
- Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, potatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano. Stir well to combine.1 15-ounce can tomato sauce, 1 6-ounce can tomato paste, 1½ cups water, 3 medium potatoes, 1 TBSP salt, ¼ TBSP ground black pepper, 2 TBSP Oregano
- Cover the roasting pan and place in the oven for approximately 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven and stir. Return to oven for another 45-55 minutes or until green beans and potatoes are cooked to your liking.
Making the Short Ribs
- While the green beans are in the oven, make the short ribs.
- Season the short ribs with salt and pepper.2½-3 lbs boneless beef short ribs, sea salt, ground pepper
- Turn Instant Pot to Saute and add the oil.2 tbsp olive oil
- When the oil is hot, add the short ribs and cook for 2 minutes per side. (You may have to work in batches depending on the size of your short ribs.) Once seared, remove the short ribs to a plate.
- Add the broth to the Instant Pot and scrape any browned bits from the bottom to avoid getting a BURN notification.4 cups beef broth
- Place the short ribs back into the Instant Pot, and add the bay leaves. Cook on High Pressure for 40 minutes. When the cooking time is complete, allow the Instant Pot to do a 10-minute Natural Release then release any remaining pressure with a Quick Release according to the manufacturer's directions.1-2 bay leaves
Putting It All Together
- After the green beans have finished cooking, it's time to add the short ribs to the roasting pan. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, carefully remove the short ribs from the Instant Pot and place them in the roasting pan with the green beans.
- The short ribs will be fall-apart tender, so you can simply use a spoon to break the meat apart while stirring to combine the flavors. If you prefer, you can shred the short ribs prior to adding them to the roasting pan.
- Transfer the liquid from the Instant Pot to a fat separator. Allow the liquid to rest for 1-2 minutes. Pour 1 cup of the separated liquid into the roasting pan and stir to combine. *See Note 3.
- Serve with feta and warm bread.
